Never Gonna Be Alone
by The Fluff Queen
Summary: When the secret of Quinn's baby's paternity is revealed, Puck and Rachel must deal with the consequences. AU from Mash-Up.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **After close to two years writing _Glee _fanfiction – and jumping back and forth St. Berry and Puckleberry – I've decided the time has come to rewrite (and hopefully finish) my first baby. I've improved quite a bit as a writer since I first started working on 'Never Gonna Be Alone', and it's time it also reaped the rewards from it.

AU (sort of) from 'Mash-Up'.

** Disclaimer: **Not mine. It belongs to RIB and Fox.

**Never Gonna Be Alone**

_**One: **__Before The Storm_

**Rachel**

**S**he's sitting on Brad's beloved piano, rehearsing the piece her coach gave her for her music school's charity concert in a few weeks. Her mind is far away though – even though her fingers execute the classical melody flawlessly – remembering the early days of her relationship with Noah, a jumble of make-out sessions, thrown slushies, bathroom apologies and an ultimatum born from jealousy that led to a difficult choice to be made by five of her eleven teammates (even though Kurt won't admit it, she knows it was hard for him to give up the tenuous bond he had formed with his father over his new place as kicker for the McKinley Titans).

_ "Are you sure about this, Noah? I mean, choosing us over football means you'll start every day with a slushie to the face"._

_ A side glance at their huddled teammates. A smirk. Her heart thundering in her ears. "Bring it". Relief washes over her as she steps in his arms for a grateful hug._

_ The team of eleven disbands for that afternoon shortly after. Michael, Matthew, Brittany and Santana leave together, taking a visibly upset Quinn with them, apparently to go to the mall grab a piece to eat. Artie invites Tina, Mercedes and Kurt over to his place – his mother has made her county famous caramel cookies. Mr. Schuester bids Noah and her goodbye, distracted, a small frown marring his forehead. They stay alone in the choir room, still hugging, her cheek against his chest and his against the crown of her head. A deep sigh abandons him as he stiffens in her arms and pulls back. Confusion muddles her mind as her brown eyes lock with his hazel pools, recognizing the steely determination that winks at her from inside his eyes. "Noah?" She asks quietly, and he answers by tugging her towards the last riser, sitting on one of the chairs and encasing her small hand into his larger, calloused ones._

_ "There's something you need to know, Rach", he says gruffly, his eyes locked to their hands, wrapped together. "I'll understand if you leave me after I tell you, but listen everything before you make your decision, 'kay?"_

_ She nods once, worry gnawing at her insides, her hand twisting inside his so that she can entwine their fingers together. She squeezes his hand once, reassuringly, waiting for him to speak._

_ "I'm the father", he says a little while after, his voice quiet and fearful, his eyes still fixed on their hands. Less than two minutes later, he feels her hand stiffen within his and bites his lower lip anxiously._

_ "W-what?" She stutters, ice replacing the blood in her veins as her mind weighs with the implications of his words. He nods, the words bursting from his lips like water behind a broken dam, revealing her everything from the fateful afternoon when Quinn walked in his bedroom with a box of grape wine coolers and a shattered self-esteem, how she came onto him and he was powerless over the attraction he felt for her._

_ He tells her how Quinn rebuffed his offers to take care of both her and their daughter, calling him a Lima loser and saying what happened between them was his __entire fault, for he got her drunk on the wine coolers that she conveniently forgot _she_ brought to his house and took advantage of how she was feeling fat and ugly. He tells her he doesn't love Quinn, but he's not his deadbeat of a sperm donor and he wants to take care of his child even if Quinn doesn't want anything with the baby._

_ He drives her home when she asks him to, after he's done telling her his side of the story. The drive to her house is silent, but she doesn't let go of his hand. She's just stunned with everything he just told her, with the implications of Quinn's lie, with the consequences of it over Finn's and Noah's lives and the two boys' lifelong friendship. She's just shocked, not hurt. It happened before they even considered being together… She just wants to help him be there for his daughter – she can see that's what he wants the most._

_ Once he's parked in front of her house, he turns to her, eyes full of anguish. "Say something, Rach", he pleads with her, voice small and frail. She turns to him, cups his cheek with her hand, slides her fingertips along his beautiful cheekbone and, with eyes locked with his, says the something he wants her to._

_ "I love you"._

Unknown to her, a small smile is curling her lips as she brings her piece to a finish, the sweet memories of that fateful day never ceasing to make her feel light and happy. Not a second after the last chord rings in the quiet auditorium, Noah storms inside, eyes hard and angry, his posture stiff and tense. The ruckus of his entrance startles her, and she looks up, eyes widening as she absorbs his posture. Her alarm increases when he furiously stalks to the music stands, picks one and slams it savagely against the helpless stage floor. "Noah!" She calls worriedly, pushing back the piano bench and walking around it so she can stand behind him, placing a hand over his knotted shoulder.

"WHAT?" He screams, turning to her with a growl. Back in the day, she would step back, terrified of his temper, intent into leaving him alone to work out his anger by himself. But, close to a month into their relationship, she has learned to deal with him. So she faces him head on, eyes wide and concerned, her touch light and soft. He's breathing heavily, shoulders moving up and down, muscles rippling underneath her hand and the fabric of his jersey. Rachel slowly moves her fingers in a light caress, humming quietly as she allows him his time to cool off.

After a while, he pulls her tight against his body, air escaping him in harsh puffs. "Take me home", he asks quietly, shuddering violently against her skin, and she nods, briefly leaving his arms to pick up her purse and bag. Once she has a hold on her purse and her trolley bag, Noah approaches her again and slides an arm around her shoulders, pressing a tender kiss to her hair. "Thank you", he whispers against the silky locks. She snuggles into his embrace and sweetly kisses his lovely arm, shrugging off his thankful words.

"Nonsense, Noah. But you're welcome". They leave the building behind, Rachel knowing he'll tell her what happened that left him so unsettled, Noah flashing back to the explosive scream match he just had with his bitch of a baby mama and using Rachel's soft, firm presence next to him.

They drive off, unaware of the scandal that's brewing behind them, the malicious, triumphant smirk that curls the lips of Rachel's own personal stalker and self-appointed McKinley High gossip king.

* * *

><p><strong>L<strong>ater that same evening, Rachel is preparing herself to go to bed, mind flashing back to what Noah had told her once she had calmed him down, how Quinn insisted on refusing him the right to care for his child claiming **Rachel** would break up with him. She bites back a growl as she notices that Quinn tried to use **her**as a weapon to force Noah to give up his parental rights to their unborn baby girl. _Well, I'll just have to find a way to make clear to her that she's wrong in her assumption_, she decides with a small smirk (Noah would be so proud if he saw her) and a nod.

Her thoughts are dispelled by the tinny sound of Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' pouring out of her phone. Frowning as she glances at her bedside alarm clock – Kurt knows she goes to bed exactly at nine in the evening, which is only ten minutes away – she leaves her vanity bench and paddles towards her bed, picking up her bejeweled phone. "Good evening, Kurt", she greets him primly, putting the call in speakerphone to carry on with her sleeping arrangements.

"Have you heard?" Kurt asks her eagerly, ignoring her polite greeting. Face to face with his ill-mannered behavior, she can't help an ironic retort to escape her lips.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking", she snaps icily, voice muffled as she slides her creamy pink flannel pajama shirt over her topless torso. She can almost see Kurt rolling his eyes, and it makes her giggle.

"Stop being such a diva for a moment and tell me if Mercedes got to you before I did!" Kurt crossly demands to know, his voice with a desperate edge in it. Holding her hair together and tugging it out from where it bunched against the back of her neck, letting it fall against her back, brushing a stray lock off her shoulder. "Rachel!" He demands anxiously, and she rolls her eyes.

"I haven't spoken to anyone of glee but Noah this afternoon, not after the fiasco of our glee rehearsal today", she replies dryly, sighing as she remembered how Finn tried to pick up a fight with Noah over a solo given by Mr. Schuester to her boyfriend, the solo only a flimsy excuse for the fact that Finn has been itching for weeks now to fight Noah because of his jealousy over the latter's lasting relationship with herself. She managed to keep Noah from jumping Finn's jealous butt and beating him into a bloody pulp, but not before chewing Finn out for being selfish and egocentric. She then stormed out of the choir room, going towards the auditorium, Noah following after her before leaving her on her own to go to his own team practice.

"YES!" Kurt squeals loudly, cheering for some minutes before lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Have you read that despicable Jacob's blog tonight?" He asks her, and she scoffs in derision.

"Why in the world would I waste my time reading that buffoon's lies, Kurt? You know very well I prefer to stay away from him, both physically and extending into the cyberspace".

Kurt silences after her reply, as if it finally dawns on him **who **exactly he's so eager to pour this juicy bit of gossip to. On the other side of the line, he worries his lower lips, mind whirring as he carefully chooses the words to use so the blow to Rachel can be as softer and less hurtful as possible (he can't soften the damages it would cause to her relationship, and a little piece of his heart feels for Rachel and the hurt she'll have to work through).

"Kurt? If you're done I'm going to hang up. I'm five minutes away from my bedtime, and you know a Broadway ingénue such as myself needs to keep a strict sleeping regimen".

"Rachel… I think today's post is worth a go, sweetie. It's related to you, somewhat", he says carefully.

She snorts in disbelief. "Half of that blog's content is related to me. You seem forgetful of the fact that its disgusting owner is very openly obsessed with me".

Kurt hums in agreement and silences, considering his options. Rachel **has **a point – no matter how frequently and forcefully Puck gets to threaten Jacob with permanent physical damage to his self if he insists on stalking Rachel, the self-named JBI keeps writing half of his stuff about the reigning lead female of New Directions.

"I'm not forgetful of that, Rachel. But the post isn't **about** you – it's **related** to you". He pauses and then sighs heavily. "Rachel, please. You really need to check it out. It's important". The hint of urgency in his voice brings a frown to Rachel's forehead, and his next words cause ice to freeze her veins. "It's about Puck".

Kurt knows he has used the magic words when he distantly hears the sound of Rachel's steps, muffled by her bedroom's fluffy white carpet, followed by the telltale sounds of a laptop being powered up. After a few moments, he hears the clicks of keys being pressed. His heart clenches at the soft gasp that escapes Rachel's lips.

Rachel's heart nearly stops when the newest headline, in blood red capital letters, pops up from the screen. Under the title, there's an embedded Youtube video, and right below it there's Jacob's malicious writing, but it's the bright crimson letters that keep her attention.

**Puck is going to be a daddy!**

_ Oh, God, Noah!_ She thinks frantically. "Kurt, I have to go", she says urgently, rushing to tug her pajamas off her body and picking up the first dress she lays her hand on.

"I'm sorry, Rachel", he says sympathetically. "Call me if you need anything".

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bye", she says, hanging up immediately afterwards. Clutching her phone, her keys and slipping a thick jacket on, she inwardly thanks God that her fathers have decided to go to bed earlier than the usual time and quietly sneaks out her house.

Noah is more important now than her sleep regimen, and she's going to be there for him.

As she rushes towards his house, panic clutches at her heart. He hasn't picked up any of her calls – and Noah **always** picks her calls, never leaving her hanging or waiting if he can help it (he knows she can talk herself into a freak out if he doesn't answer). When she steps up to the front door – Mrs. Puckerman has the night shift at the hospital today – she's shaking so hard it's difficult for her to ring the doorbell. So, she chooses to knock forcefully at the front door, her fist rapping against the wood after a second when it doesn't open.

A sleepy-looking Nina Puckerman finally opens said door, hazily looking up at Rachel with a slow smile. Concealing her nervousness the best she can, Rachel smiles back at the young girl. "Hey there, sweetie. Isn't time for you to be on bed?" The 7-year-old smiles and nods sleepily, stepping aside to let Rachel in. The older brunette follows Nina into the living room, draping her jacket over the back of the couch and looking around to make sure Anne Puckerman won't have a messy house to fix once she arrives early the next morning. Nina can barely stand up straight, so Rachel takes her in her arms and climbs up the stairs to tuck the younger girl in. Nina falls back asleep when Rachel's halfway up the stairs with her, and Rachel struggles a little with pulling back the covers so she can put Nina on the bed, but she somehow manages.

Before going to Noah's bedroom, Rachel goes back downstairs and picks up her keys, phone and jacket. She thanks the Lord she had the insight to put her phone on vibrate – since Kurt's call, it has been blowing up with calls and texts, and she turns it off. She makes sure the door is locked, turns off the TV and the living room light before going back up.

Noah's door is closed and inside his bedroom it's quiet. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she gently knocks at the door. "Noah?" She calls quietly, trying the doorknob. The door creaks open and she slowly steps in, heart breaking as she catches sight of him. Noah's lying on his back, eyes fixed sightlessly at his ceiling. When the door softly closes behind him, he turns towards her, and tears threaten to bubble up in her eyes as she notices how dark, stormy green his eyes are. She rushes towards the bed, and he clutches at her like there's no tomorrow, his face pressed against her stomach as he curls around her midsection. She begins to hum softly, her fingers sliding through his Mohawk comfortingly.

**Noah.**

**C**urled around Rachel's body, her voice humming softly and her fingers working their soothing magic in his hair, he **is** fucking grateful that he has Rachel by his side tonight. He's also so fucking grateful that he told her about his and Quinn's secret when they started dating, because he doesn't know how he would make through this goddamn night if she dumped his sorry ass.

And it had started as such a nice evening. After Rachel calmed him down enough for them to go to her home, they hung out together, watching a movie and talking about what had happened with Quinn immediately after his football practice ended. Quinn had cornered him right out of the locker room, pissed out of her ass that he kept insisting on taking care of their child when she repeatedly refused to allow him to. Unaware that he had told Rachel the truth, she tried to keep him silent by tugging at his insecurities, saying Rachel would leave him if she learned the truth. He had been sickly pleased at the deep blush that flooded her face when he said with a malicious smile, "There are no secrets **at all** between me and Rachel, Q", the implications of his statement blatantly clear – he trusts his new girlfriend enough to tell her everything that happened, while she, who's dating Finn for way longer than he is Rachel, hasn't done the same.

The fight ended with Quinn furiously storming away after once again ordering him to leave her the hell alone, and Puck himself storming off to the opposite direction, slamming his fist into a locker as he stalked towards where Rachel was, most likely rehearsing something.

When his mother's time to clock in at work arrived, he parked outside of his home, listening with half a ear to Ma's usual recommendations for Nina's care (as if he hadn't been doing so since he was ten). After he helped Nina with his homework and settled her happily into the living room with her Disney movies, he locked himself away in his bedroom, the door only closed so Nina could walk in if she needed anything. He then brooded his ass off, trying to find a solution for his troubles, one that hopefully would end with him, Rachel and the baby as one happy small family. When his brain was almost boiling out of his ears, he logged into Facebook, shocked at the amount of writings in his wall. He then clicked on a link one of his friends sent him…

… And felt ice shivering down his spine when it opened up.

It was a link to Jewfro's blog, where he announced for the world the truth about Quinn's baby paternity. The video embedded was a grainy record of his screaming match with Quinn, and he immediately put his phone on vibrate before hastily shutting his PC off and going downstairs. Nina looked curiously at him as he pulled the phone off the plug, and nodded as he instructed her not to open the door for Finn if he came over. He clenched his fists as he returned to his bed, wanting to kick that creep's sorry ass and then his own fine backside. It's fucked up. Now the entire school knows, if not everyone in Lima.

Fuck his life.

He was seriously considering putting Nina to bed earlier than her usual bedtime and then proceeding to get drunk out of his ass when his phone began vibrating like hell. A quick glance at his caller ID informed him it was Finn, and he left the gadget alone. Finn insisted until his voicemail kicked in, and once it was done a new call lit up his screen. New glance at the caller ID, and his heart clenched.

** Baby**, it read. But he didn't pick up, no matter how much he wanted to beg her to come over. He tried to convince himself it's for the best to keep Rachel in the dark, a protection for her against Finn's rage – the next day will be hellish enough for both him and Quinn, who are pretty popular, without Rachel having to deal with the backlash of her secrecy towards Finn about the truth.

He was startled out of his brooding when a gentle knock came from outside, but didn't find within himself the strength to acknowledge it. After a moment, the door opened and Rachel snuck in, the sweet scent of her perfume wafting to his nose. The door closed behind her and he turned on his side, their eyes meeting and locking firmly.

She rushed towards the bed, hugging tightly, and he felt his weak restraint on his self-control all but evaporate at the tenderness of her touch. Tears exploded in his eyes, and he curled around her body, his face resting against her smooth stomach, shoulders shaking with his tears.

Now here they are, two hours later. He's grateful that she took care of Nina, tucking her in before coming to him. He's settled between her legs, fingers caressing softly the point where her smooth thighs peek from underneath the hem of her dress. Her fingers are curled around his Mohawk, massaging his scalp gently. He kisses her belly gently and his voice is muffled by her dress when he says, "Never leave me".

He hears a soft sigh escape her lips, fingers digging slightly into his skin. "Oh, Noah…" She whispers; her voice is thick with tears, but he's fucking proud of her for refusing to allow them to fall. "Never, baby. I'm here as long as you want me to be". Letting out a breath he had no idea he was holding, he slides his body against hers, his head coming to rest on her breasts, her hands warm and soft on his back, the strong and steady beat of his heart more soothing than anything.

**Rachel**

**H**er dress is still slightly humid over her stomach, where Noah rested his head when he broke down once she arrived at his bedroom. Her heart broke at his silent sobs; Noah **never** had cried in front of her, not even when they were children growing up together at the JCC. She hummed every slow song she knew, trying to offer him the comfort he clearly sought from her, and when he finally stopped crying, she allowed silence to fall over them. She didn't stop caressing him, but broke the silence a little later by telling him Nina's already sound asleep in her bedroom and the living room neat and organized. He thanks her sincerely, and in a lull of the conversation he asks her never to leave him.

Her heart cracks open and new tears flood up her eyes. "Oh, Noah", she whispers, her fingers involuntarily tightening against his skin. "Never, baby", her voice is thick and she looks straight to the ceiling willing the tears down. "I'm here as long as you want me to be", she vows, and feels him slide against her, his body deliciously pressed against hers as he comes to rest his head against her small breasts. Her fingers slide up and down his back, and she does what does best to offer him even more comfort.

She sings.

_You're never gonna be alone, from this moment on_

_If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall_

_When all hope is gone, I know you can carry on_

_We're gonna see the world on – I'll hold you till the hurt is gone._

When Noah relaxes over her, she allows a smile to curve her lips, knowing that her boyfriend understood what she tried to say. He turns so he's lying on his stomach against her body, his chin poking at her breasts as he looks up at him with a sweet smile. "Stay here tonight?" He whispers. She nods.

"I told you, I'm here as long as you need me".

His eyes sparkle with a bit of mischief when he turns on his back, pulling her with him and allowing her to straddle his stomach. His fingers slide up her body, coming to gently cup her cheek and curl lovingly around the nape of her neck, tugging her down so her lips hover over his. His warm breath caresses the tender skin of her lips when he whispers.

"Then what do you think of forever, Berry?"

A small smile curves her mouth when she whispers in reply, "Fine by me", before closing the small gap between their lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **After close to two years writing _Glee _fanfiction – and jumping back and forth St. Berry and Puckleberry – I've decided the time has come to rewrite (and hopefully finish) my first baby. I've improved quite a bit as a writer since I first started working on 'Never Gonna Be Alone', and it's time it also reaped the rewards from it.

AU (sort of) from 'Mash-Up'.

Thank you, from the bottom of my shipper heart, for all the reviews and alerts and support. You're amazing and I love you.

** Disclaimer: **Not mine. It belongs to RIB and Fox.

**Never Gonna Be Alone**

_**One: **__Total Eclipse of the Heart_

**Rachel**

**S**he wakes up with a startle, blinking drowsily as her eyesight gets used to the sunlight-filled room. She's feeling strangely warm, her limbs numb, tingling as she moves slightly and blood rushes through her body. Raising up a hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes, she feels the warmth of a breath brushing intimately against the delicate skin of her neck, and she stiffens for a moment, as she tries to remember what happens.

As the memories come flooding back into her senses, she allows herself to relax only for a moment. Blinking slowly, she finds Noah's asleep face pressed against her shoulder, his much-larger body draped over hers. Their legs are entwined together, one of her arms stretched along his spine and the other draped over her eyes to protect them from the rising sunlight. She sleepily looks around searching for his alarm clock – and a rush of adrenaline falls over her as she sees it's more than six in the morning.

"OH MY GOD!" She shrieks, sitting up the best she can with Noah still comfortably settled over her body. Her sudden movement startles him awake, and he rolls off of her and almost falls off the bed; rubbing his eyes, he stares at her for a moment before smiling sleepily and pulling her back down with him. "Noah!" She shrieks again. "I have to go, my fathers are no doubt worried sick with me!"

"No, they're not", Noah mumbles, voice rough from sleep as he snuggles into her warmth. He drapes an arm around her waist and pulls her closer, pressing a quick kiss on the curve of her neck. "I woke up to your phone ringing and I told them we were watching a movie and you fell asleep. Your dad seemed pretty pissed, so I also told him you were helping me baby-sit the brat and he chilled out".

"Oh..." Rachel breathes as she relaxes slightly in the cocoon of Noah's arms, touching around without looking for her cell phone. "I'm going to call them and explain myself... Hopefully they won't be so angry since you told them where I spent the night..." She makes a small pause and then adds, grumbling, "Also, hopefully they won't think we have had intercourse".

A muffled chuckle escapes Noah's lips as he closes his eyes and relaxes next to her. Rachel's still a virgin, even though little by little they have been crossing through all the bases. This line, however, has yet to be crossed, for she isn't the only one insecure of her first time. Given everything that has happened, and is happening, with Quinn, Noah is understandably reluctant, but if there's something Rachel knows with absolute certainty concerning her relationship with Noah Puckerman, it's that she won't abide by her rule of no-sex-until-25.

She wriggles a little within his embrace, still looking for her pink bejeweled phone, and, after a few moments, his hands come to rest on her hips, stopping her. She blinks up at him, confused, and is surprised by the deep, burning green of his eyes, dark with lust. "Rach", he whispers, his voice throaty and rough; he takes a minute to clear his throat, "If you want to remain a virgin until we're both ready for... **that**... to happen, then you really need to stop that, baby".

Rachel's cheeks flame up, brightly red, as she feels just how much her wriggling around has affected him. Looking up at him, her face twists in an bashful, apologetic smile, and he laughs and kisses her softly. "That's okay, baby. You know I'm cool with waiting, yeah?" He looks around for a moment and finally catches sight of her phone; stretching his arm slightly behind her, he grabs the brightly pink gadget and hands it to her, getting out of the bed immediately. Her eyes drink up his flawless physique as she presses the speed-dial to her house.

"Hello?" Hiram Berry answers the phone, and Rachel startles out of her awed appreciation of Noah's body.

"Daddy! Hi!" She rushes out, a little breathless. "Sorry I went missing last night, but Mrs. Puckerman had the night shift and Nina wanted me to help take care of her. Noah and I were watching a movie and I fell asleep, and he didn't think it was safe to wake me up to go home".

"Rachel", Hiram says a little laughingly. "Relax, sweetie. It's okay. We were worried, of course, but once Noah told us what happened, we were happy you found a boyfriend so worried. Just, for my own peace of mind, tell me you guys used protection".

"DADDY!" Rachel shrieks, heat flaming up her cheeks. "No such thing happened!" She sputters, sitting on the bed and letting her legs fall on its side. She hears Noah laughing, and her blush deepens. When her daddy speaks again, she rolls her eyes – she can almost **see** his smirk.

"Sure, sweetheart. Well, hopefully we'll see you later today, yes?"

"Yes", Rachel replies with a firm nod, cradling her phone between her shoulder and her cheek while she gathers all her hair in one hand and fashions it in a messy bun. "Mrs. Puckerman doesn't have the night shift today – I think she even has the day off – and so they won't need me around".

"Okay, baby. Have a good day. Love you".

"I love you too, daddy. Give dad a kiss for me".

"Will do. Bye, Rachel".

"Bye, daddy". With that she finishes the call and picks up a clean towel from the pile inside Noah's wardrobe. She goes towards the bathroom and finds Nina's bedroom door open, the young girl inside singing quietly along to the Hannah Montana songs coming from her pink stereo. The front door clicks open and Anne Puckerman's voice rings from the foyer.

"Noah, Nina, I'm home! I brought breakfast!" The older woman calls out, and Nina shrieks and rushes out of her bedroom, half of her hair tied in a pigtail, a brush in her hand and a hairband in her mouth.

"Morning, Rach", Nina muffles out as she rushes out past Rachel, who smiles at her.

"Good morning, Nina". She leans against the wall in front of the closed bathroom door, hearing Noah sing quietly as he showers. She closes her eyes, an unconscious small smile curving her lips as she allows Noah's smooth voice wash over her. Her thoughts then change to what's expecting them that morning, in the aftermath of Jacob's ill-timed revelation. She and Noah spent the last night in their safe haven, a protective bubble, away from everything, consequences kept at bay by the thickness of the night.

What lays in await for them now under the light of the day?

She doesn't know, and this leaves her slightly unsettled. She hates feeling out of control of a situation, and that's what is happening here. She can't predict what will come out of this, other than the end of Quinn's relationship with Finn, and the latter's friendship with Noah. This will shift the entire dynamics of New Directions, something in nature still so frail and uncertain... This, she knows, this revelation, this bombshell in form of news will tear her new team apart, sides will be chosen and decisions will be made.

And she knows where she will stand. Smack dab in the middle of it, right next to Noah, there she will be found, no matter what.

"Babe?" The soulful, quiet voice startles her out of her musings, and she blinks up, her eyes locking with Noah's concerned hazel-green pools. "You okay?" His rough, calloused hand comes up to cup her soft cheek, the skin slightly cool from the shower. It makes her shiver pleasantly, and she leans into his touch, pressing a sweet kiss to the base of his thumb.

"Yes", she whispers, with just a slight tilt of her lips. "I'm going to jump under the shower really fast, okay? I know we have to drop off Nina off and I don't want to delay us any further than necessary".

"No rush, doll", Noah says, kissing her forehead tenderly before stepping into his bedroom. Rachel steps into the bathroom, locks the door behind her and takes a deep, fortifying breath.

**Noah**

**H**is mother is standing by the kitchen table, her back turned to the door as she sips from her coffee and helps Nina fix the rest of her hair into a second pigtail. Nina's babbling excitedly about how some little girl invited her the previous day to spend today's afternoon in a playdate. "Mornin', ma", he greets her, distracted, mind whirling as he tries to come up with ways to keep Rachel away from him and Finn when they undoubtedly come to blows. Knowing his girl the way he does, he knows she'll stick by his side like glue today and, while he's grateful for her support, he doesn't want to see her hurt in anyway.

And Finn will be on fucking warpath, innocent parties be damned. (Plus, it's fucking unlikely he'll see Rachel as an innocent party, given that she knew the truth and chose not to share it with him – fucking kid still thinks he has _dibs_ on Rachel or something).

"Good morning, Noah", Anne says pleasantly, a satisfied grin in her face. "Rachel spent the night?" She asks immediately after a pause of, like, one nanosecond, and Puck groans. The old bat is planning his fucking wedding already, he knows. He presses his lips together, picks up a cup of coffee... and spits it out all over the kitchen table, reacting to Anne's next words. "So, when shall I bring down your and Nina's old crib down from storage?"

"JESUS, MA!" He yells, wiping his mouth clean from spit and coffee.

"What?" Anne asks with an innocent grin, which turns in a much more genuine smile as Rachel walks in the tiny kitchen, a puzzled frown marring her forehead. "Good morning, Rachel. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Puckerman. Yes, I did. I take you had a calm night at the hospital?"

"It wasn't much different from every nightly shift. Thank you for cleaning everything up last night before going to bed, by the way", the older woman shoots her son a little nasty look as she cleans the coffee-y mess off the tabletop

Rachel waves dismissively, snuggling against Noah and resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Nonsense. The house wasn't that messy to begin with when I arrived. Nina was almost asleep, tucked in the couch and watching a movie, and Noah was upstairs working on a few things for glee".

Anne makes a noncommittal noise, and silence falls over the foursome for a moment until Noah lets his cup fall on the kitchen's basin and stands up. "C'mon, Rach, we still need to get you home to change before dropping the Puckerlet off at her school", he says, wrapping his hand around Rachel's and tugging her outside the kitchen. Nina hurries after the two of them, Anne calling out in farewell and reminding Noah to stop by the grocery store to pick up some things she'd need for dinner that evening.

The drive to Nina's school is made in a relaxed way. Even though he's tense, and he knows Rachel can tell, she keeps up chatting with Nina, keeping his sister distracted so she won't realize just how much of a nervous wreck he is at the moment. Rachel even pops in her iPod, scrolls around her playlists and, with a soft 'a-ha!', presses play to the soundtracks of Nina's favorite Disney movies. He makes a few mental notes for song suggestions to glee – _Be Our Guest_ can be made into a kick-ass number, while _The Circle of Life_ is empowering, and _Reflections_ is a beautiful ballad to be sung by one of the resident divas of their little band of misfits – and even duets a little with Rachel in _Can You Feel The Love Tonight_, but most of the singing is done by Rachel, backed up by Nina's sweet childish voice.

Once they drop Nina off at her school, it's a quick drive to the Berry residence and an even quicker change of clothes for Rachel. The days are getting darker and colder, so she chooses a navy blue skirt with black tights, paired up with a white long-sleeved blouse and a dark blue cardigan. By the time they arrive at McKinley, the parking lot is buzzing with students, whispers and muttered words and glances coming up from all sides as his beat-up green truck cruises through the cluttered parking space.

When he parks at his usual spot, he takes a moment to press his forehead to the wheel, taking deep, cleansing breaths. _I'm no fucking pussy_, he tells himself, teeth gritted together as he tries to calm his racing heart. The feel of a soft, warm hand on the space between his shoulder blades calms him down just a little; he looks at his right and his eyes find Rachel's loving, concerned face. Seeing that expression on his girlfriend's face emboldens him: fuck the world. He has Rachel Berry on his corner.

And usually, what Rachel Berry wants, Rachel Berry **gets**.

He smiles a little at her, leans forward and presses his lips sweetly against hers. Her hand comes to cradle his cheek, touching his cheekbone in a light caress, gently biting his lower lip. He growls playfully and she giggles. "Love you, Rach", he whispers, and can feel her smile in their kiss.

She's the first to pull away from their bubble, her swollen lips still slightly tilted in a small smile. "Come on, Noah, we're going to be late", she says, pushing the passenger door open and stepping out of the warm truck cabin. She stands next to the open door, her hand held out in an invitation, an encouraging smile on her lips, and he feels gratitude swell deep within him: she knows how he's feeling and what he can't express (doesn't know how), and is offering him her support. With a last deep breath, he squares his shoulders, picks up his jacket, closes his door and locks the truck once Rachel does the same. Once they meet again, she wraps an arm around his waist while he drapes an arm around her shoulders.

And, as they walk in the buzzing halls of their school, it suddenly hits him how lucky he is that he, unlike Quinn, isn't going to face the backlash of the previous night's blog post alone. Sure, it sucks that his friendship with Finn basically is down the drain, but he doesn't have all eyes of this school set upon him in pity, disdain and manic glee. He has Rachel's eyes looking at him with concern, with love, even, and that is empowering enough to make him walk through the halls of his kingdom with his head held high.

Jacob Ben-Israel be damned, he's the resident badass and he's not going to give up that title.

They stop first at his locker, and thankfully everyone seems to be cutting a clear path away from him. Rachel starts making some small talk about their date for that weekend – she wants to check out some Scarlett Johansson movie, and, since Puck's still appreciative of his babes onscreen, he's all for that – while he picks up his books and shoves his jacket into his locker. Once he slams the locker door closed, he takes Rachel's hand in his and allows her to lead him to her locker.

And that's where their safe bubble is blown up. Because Rachel's locker is two lockers down from Finn's locker, and standing in front of Finn's locker is, well, Finn.

And Finn is looking fucking pissed and having a damn screaming match with a visibly devastated Quinn in front of his locker.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Finn screams, the vein in his forehead throbbing so much Puck can see it from one end of the hall. Rachel tenses up a little next to him and he squeezes her hand in response. She glances briefly at him but squeezes his hand back, and they clutch at each other's hand tightly as she begins to babble anxiously.

"It was a mistake!" Quinn sobs out, her voice desperate and thick with tears. "I was drunk and feeling fat and insecure because you were skipping away singing love songs and making goo goo eyes at Man-Hands, and he was there and **he wanted me**! He looked at me when you were busy looking at that thing, Finn! It didn't mean anything!"

"Good morning", Rachel says quietly, and Puck closes his eyes and waits for the blow to come.

Finn might be a little dim-witted, but fuck his (former) boy packs one hell of a punch.

Finn attacks him in the middle of the hallways and he doesn't fight back. Through the blood roaring in his ears, he hears Rachel screaming at Finn to stop, and Quinn's crying and screaming, and the other students are egging Finn on with a unison of 'fight! Fight! Fight!'. He's fallen at the floor, with his eyes closed, and Finn's fists packing punch after punch in his face.

He doesn't see how Rachel desperately tries to tug Finn off of him, tears cascading down her cheeks. He misses how Quinn falls into Brittany's waiting arms and weeps against the taller blonde's shoulders. He'll never know how Matt steps in to keep Rachel from being hurt by Finn by hoisting her up and placing her in Mike's arms.

All he feels is Finn stopping his attack, and Rachel running into him and sobbing into his shirt. "Noah, Noah", she weeps, and he hugs her, nuzzling the tender flesh of her neck lovingly.

"I'm okay, babe, I promise", he whispers. He doesn't dare to look up at Finn, but now that the adrenaline is wearing off, his face is starting to hurt like a bitch, his left eye is throbbing and he can taste coopery blood in his mouth. He can hear the harsh sound of Finn panting thanks to the exertion that was beating him up, and can only imagine how hard the quarterback is glaring at him right now; not only has he won over Rachel's heart (and he has mentioned Finn still thinks he has dibs in their glee club female lead, yeah?), he also got Finn's pristine virgin girlfriend pregnant.

"Rachel", Finn snaps, his steps heavy on the floor; since Rachel's still clinging to him, Noah feels her flinch and squeezes her a little tighter. "C'mon, I'll walk you to class". He waits for her to answer and, when she stays quiet (she's crying silently into his chest – Puck can feel the wet spot in his shirt growing), his tone turns a little cajoling. "C'mon, Rach. You don't have to stay with that backstabbing bastard. I'm here for you".

"No, thank you", she whispers, and Puck sags against her (he had no idea how tense he was until she uttered those three little words).

**Rachel**

**S**he can tell her refusal has shocked Finn – and everyone else – and it'd make her roll her eyes if she wasn't so busy crying said eyes out over Finn's violent attack on Noah. Noah's rubbing her back softly, his breath coming in soft puffs against the tender skin of her neck, and she presses her forehead against his shoulder, breathing in his smell – deodorant, soap and a twinge of sweat, everything that resumes masculinity, that sums up _Noah_, now overlaid by a tiny bit of blood. She leans back from him a little bit, her hands slowly letting go of the fabric of his shirt to come cup his cheeks. Her reddened, slightly swollen eyes appraise all the damage caused by Finn's fists to his beautiful face, tears springing up as she notices the darkening bruise on his eye, a cut on his eyebrow and his upper lip busted open. "Oh, Noah..." She whispers, with her voice thick.

"What the fuck? Rachel!" Finn roars. "Don't you know what he did to me? And Quinn?"

She squares her shoulders, looking helplessly at Noah. He squeezes her hip gently, and she turns in his arms to stare, devastated but firm, at Finn. "I do. And I'm sorry that you have to go through this, but Noah's more important to me right now; he's my boyfriend and he's hurting too".

Finn gapes at her, complete shock coloring his handsome features before being replaced by a deep betrayal. "You're siding with **him**?" He spits, and Rachel shudders at the profound disgust in his voice, but nods once.

"He's my boyfriend, Finn".

"He cheated on you!"

"No, he did not!" Anger flares in her eyes as she stands up. "Noah and I are together for only two months, and Quinn's nearly four months pregnant. What happened with her happened way before we were together, so no, he didn't cheat on me!"

Finn steps away from her with hurt, disappointment and betrayal burning in his eyes; he looks slowly at the other eight gleeks that somehow have managed to form a protective circle around the four of them. The pity he sees in their eyes burns a hole through his pride; they all knew the truth and chose to keep it from him.

"I'm done with you", he announces, fury dripping from his voice. "I'm done with **all** of you!" He then shoves Mike slightly aside, pushing past the crowd that was watching everything unravel with rapt interest. Quinn breaks free from Santana's hold and tries to go after him, grabbing his sleeve, but he shakes her off with such a strength that she falls to the floor. Santana and Brittany gasp and rush to help her; with tears streaming down her cheeks, she clings to them, the other gleeks fluttering nervously around them.

"Well, that went... fine..." Noah says ironically, and Rachel's overcome with an urge to laugh, so deep that it bursts through her lips. As the crowd disperses, the other gleeks look disbelievingly at her, as her hysterical laughter turns into quiet tears. Noah wraps his arm around her waist and rubs her back comfortingly.

"Oh, Noah, what are we going to do?" She whispers, desperate. He squeezes her a little tighter.

"It'll all be okay, baby, I promise".


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **AU (sort of) from 'Mash-Up'.

Thank you, from the bottom of my shipper heart, for all the reviews and alerts and support. You're amazing and I love you.

** Disclaimer: **Not mine. It belongs to RIB and Fox.

**Never Gonna Be Alone**

_**Three: **__With a Little Help From My Friends_

**Noah**

**W**ith Finn gone, Rachel weeping in his arms and Quinn sobbing openly as she leans against the lockers, the silence that fell over the crowd that was watching them raptly just now is broken. Buzzing surrounds them, snippets of comments made in gossipy tones coming to their ears as the mass of teenagers look at them, some with pity, some with glee, most with malice. Suddenly Santana's voice is heard, loud, demanding and clear in the rustling hall, and she orders aloud, "What are you guys watching? Fucking show is over! Get the fuck away!" She tells the crowd, glaring at the susceptible freshmen who look scared at her then scurry off. Brittany, meanwhile, has rushed to Quinn's side, wrapping her arms around the pregnant blonde and rubbing the latter's back, the two blondes sinking to the floor, Quinn clutching desperately at a completely lost Brittany.

Santana nods at Brittany and then turns to him and Rachel, both still snuggled together, Rachel's face, sticky with her tears, pressed against the curve of his neck, his arms still holding her tightly. He and Santana exchange a glance and he nods gratefully at her, not needing words to know she has his back. They were together for so long, before his cougars and her need for financial stability tore them apart; plus, he and Satan are basically the same person, only, you know, she's a hot Latina and he a BAMF.

Brittany and Santana pull Quinn up and, pressing her in between them, take their former head Cheerio away for the day. Santana barks at the staring crowd to fuck off before she cuts them, and the bite in her tone is enough to send everyone scurrying on their way. Left alone, he gently pushes Rachel up and stands up himself, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her away to the bleachers, the only quiet place at this time.

As they go outside, Rachel hiccups every now and then, sniffling on occasion. The crisp October air licks at her arms and he feels her shudder against his body; concerned, he stops walking and then takes his letterman jacket off, wrapping it around her smaller, slimmer frame. The coat practically swallows her whole, but as he zips it close and helps her bunch the sleeves so they won't fall over her hands, he can't help but think she looks fucking hot with it. He smiles softly as she snuggles into the jacket and smiles a little wetly at him. "Thanks, Noah", she whispers, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

"You're welcome, babe", he mumbles against her mouth, letting go of her quickly to take her up the bleachers. He decides to sit on one of the top bleachers, Rachel sitting on his knees, one of her arms wrapped around his neck as his come to curl around her waist. She takes his face on her free hand, lifting it up so she can examine the damage caused by Finn's fists. He can feel a bruise blooming in his left eye, and, since the corner of his mouth is stinging and he had tasted blood a little earlier, he knows he has a busted lip too. Eyes brimming with tears again, she leans a little and presses a sweet little kiss to his injuries, whispering apologies against his skin. He can feel her tears against his cheek, and his eyes burn.

"Don't be stupid, babe", he huffs out, gruffly. "It's not your fault. Q and I are paying for our fucking – literally – mistake". His eyes soften as he cups her face on his hands, feeling her smooth skin under his calloused fingers. "How are **you**?" He asks her seriously, and she shrugs.

"Don't worry with me, Noah", she chides him quietly. "I'm fine, just a little unsettled because I never imagined Finn capable of such violence", she explains to him quietly, eyes faraway as she looks out at the empty field. His insides clench a little with jealousy, but he ignores it firmly. Rachel has made repeatedly clear that he is the one she wants, not his (now former) boy.

"Hey", he puts a hand on her cheek and gently forces her to look at him, pressing a kiss to her lips (he winces just a little when the contact of their lips causes pain to zing through him because of his busted lip), "it'll be okay. Finn just needs to cool his jets. We hit rock bottom, now we can only get better", he repeats to her something he remembers his mother telling him (and herself) on the days immediately after his deadbeat dad fled on them. With a sigh, he feels Rachel press a kiss to his palm and nod softly against his hand.

"Okay", she whispers quietly.

**Rachel**

**T**he rest of the day goes as smoothly as possible. Thankfully, it isn't a day of rehearsal for Glee, so as soon as the school lets out, she and Noah are allowed to leave that hellish building. She has no idea how he handles the whispers and the stares and the gossip – as a Broadway star in training, she knows she has to get used to it, but for now she can't. The weight of the silences that her entrance at her classes would entail had been extremely difficult to handle, but it was the looks, some pitiful, most mocking, that had her sometimes shivering with anger. People are judging her for her support of Noah during this trying time, but what was she expected to do? Turn her back on her love, because of a mistake he made before they were even together?

Her thoughts are interrupted by the quiet sound of sobbing that projects out of the auditorium. Rachel frowns, finding it weird that someone (other than her, Mercedes and Kurt, that is) would hide at the auditorium to cry away their issues. Readjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder (and firing away a quick text to warn Noah she's going to be just a little late), she quietly pushes the door to the auditorium open.

The spotlights are off, only the average lights on and thus it makes harder for Rachel to recognize the female sobbing her eyes out on the front row of the auditorium. Narrowing her chocolate brown pools, Rachel silently sneaks up to the occupied seat, a suspicion rising in her mind as she recognizes the waving blonde hair spilling down an outfit that Rachel imagines would fit perfectly in a _Mad Men_ set. "Quinn?" She calls out, cautiously, lamenting when she sees the blonde's posture stiffen in response to her voice.

"Go away", Quinn mumbles, lifting her hands to her eyes and hastily wiping away the remains of her tears.

"Oh, Quinn", Rachel breathes as she hurries up to the seat Quinn has taken, putting a light hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I'm so sorry everything had to come out in the open this way", she says quietly, squeezing the former Cheerio's shoulder comfortingly. "Are you-" She trails off before making a question whose answer is obviously in front of her – Quinn is as far as possible from being fine – and says instead, "Do you need anything?" Her voice is quiet and her hand never leaves Quinn's shoulder as the brunette sits down by her side.

Quinn, at first stiff with Rachel's proximity – and unaware of what her former rival would say since the two of them are currently alone in the auditorium – relaxes as time passes and Rachel simply sits down by her side, squeezing her shoulder every now and then. The two girls allow silence to settle back on them, and Quinn is the first to break it, mumbling, "I don't think you know how to go back in time, do you?"

Rachel lets out a sigh, and Quinn chances a look at her face, seeing a small sad smile curving the brunette's lips. "Unfortunately, no, Quinn, I don't. God knows I wish I knew, if only to prevent you and Noah to have the horrid discussion to led to our current predicament", the female lead of New Directions says honestly, making Quinn frown.

"**That**'s all you'd wish erased?" She asks, disbelievingly. "I thought you'd be one of those who wished my night with Puck never happened".

Rachel shrugs delicately, taking her hand off Quinn's shoulder. "You got pregnant for a reason, Quinn. We don't know why this child is supposed to be born to teenage parents, but fate has something great in store for her". Rachel speaks with such care that it causes Quinn to tear up again. The sight of Quinn's emotion causes Rachel to tear up a little, herself, and she carries on, "Do I wish you hadn't gotten pregnant? I admit sixteen isn't an appropriate age to welcome a child into the world, and the circumstances of your daughter's conception aren't the best, but she's a living human being. To wish to have that lapse of judgment erased would mean to erase a person who hasn't had the chance yet to live. If anything, you owe your child that".

Quinn starts crying again, and Rachel wraps an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her fingers in a comforting way. She can feel the wetness of Quinn's tears soaking Noah's jacket (he refused to take it back when they came back in from their moment at the bleachers, earlier that day), but she doesn't care. "Why don't Noah and I take you home?" Rachel offers quietly, but Quinn shakes her head negatively.

"No... I don't want to go home", the blonde whispers in response, her voice rough with tears. "My parents... They don't know yet, but I doubt they're oblivious to it now. They know a handful of people whose children go here, and my cell phone has been blowing up with calls from my father, my mother and even my sister". The girl Rachel once considered her greatest rival shoots her a pleading glance. "Can we go somewhere else? Please?"

A little hesitantly, Rachel nods. "Noah and I are going to my house, but we need to stop by at his to pick his sister up. Mrs. Puckerman has the night shift at the hospital tonight and it starts in-" the brunette quickly checks her phone, sighing as she sees two missed calls from her boyfriend, "-an hour and a half. My dad, Leroy, left today for a seminar in Chicago, and my daddy, Hiram, went with him, so I'll be alone at the house for five days. If you feel like it, you can crash there...?" She offers, uncertainly.

"Sure!" Quinn says, obviously eager to stay as far away from home as possible. Silence stretches between the two girls before Quinn's brow furrows. "Berry, no offense, but you're vibrating".

"Oh!" Rachel squeaks out, pulling her cell phone out of her skirt's pocket. She rolls her eyes with a fond smile. "It's Noah. Excuse me, Quinn". She takes the call when the blonde nods, briskly walking away from where she and Quinn have taken seat. "Noah?"

"Babe!" His voice is frantic. "Where the fuck are you? We have to go pick up the brat, remember, Ma has to work tonight!"

"Relax, Noah, I know. We still have more than an hour, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do", Noah sounds a little more relaxed and Rachel smiles. "You can't vanish like that, Rach", he warns her, and she chuckles, nodding even though she knows he can't see her. "But remember we have to pick the brat up before going to Casa Berry, and the little twerp always takes a long ass time packing, so we better hurry up".

"Noah! Don't call your sister names!" She says warningly, eyes wandering up to where Quinn is sitting, wiping under her eyes and checking her reflection on a small hand mirror. "Hum, Noah..." She sounds a little hesitant and she picks up the moment he notices it and tenses in response. "We'll have an extra guest to our sleepover at my house".

"An extra guest?" He parrots, obviously intrigued.

She bites her lower lip, walking a little further away from where Quinn is. Her voice takes a hissing quality and she works it so the pregnant blonde won't be able to pick it up from her seat. "I ran into Quinn. She was crying in the auditorium, Noah. And she doesn't want to go home. I know you two have been having a hard time trying to connect since she realized she was pregnant, so I invited her to come over. I thought that maybe her joining us would help improve your relationship. I mean, you two are having a daughter together, and you need to decide what you're going to do about that little girl".

A long silence stretches over them, and, when Noah speaks, his voice is wary. "Are you certain, Rachel? Normal Quinn is a whiny little bitch. I can't imagine how a high-on-baby-hormones Quinn is going to act like".

"Yes, I am, Noah", she replies with a certainty she's far from feeling. However, she knows Noah hates the feeling of uncertainty that he carries around concerning his situation with Quinn and the baby. He wants to do what's right by that child. He wants to be a father to the little girl growing inside Quinn's stomach. For that to happen, he needs to sort things out with Quinn.

Quinn doesn't want the baby. They do, and if bringing Quinn along for their sleepover is the way to make sure that happens, then, by Barbra, she's going to make it happen.

"Okay", he replies, quietly, relief palpable in his voice. "Thanks, babe".

"You're welcome, Noah". They quickly set up a meeting – he'll be waiting for her and Quinn on the parking lot, the engine running so it won't take long before they drive to the Puckerman residence to pick Nina up – and she hangs up, a smile on her face as she goes back to Quinn, who looks perfect, pristine and beautiful – if not for the slight, red puffiness on her eyes, no one would know she was crying just before – and picks her bag up. "So? You ready? We have to stop at Noah's house to pick his sister up before driving to my place, but that usually doesn't take long. Despite Noah's claims that she takes a lifetime to pack, Nina has gotten pretty used to our routine so she has a bag packed when it's sleepover nights".

Quinn seems a little lost – it's the first time she's on the receiving end of one of her rants, so Rachel cuts her a little slack – but then she looks curiously at the brunette. "You know Puck's family?"

Rachel chuckles. "Since I was pretty much in diapers. The Jewish community in Lima is small, and we're a very tight group. Of course, even in a very close-knit group there are those who exclude people who are different, and Anne Puckerman being an unmarried mother and my parents being a same-sex couple meant our families always gravitated towards each other, which means Noah and I know each other from the get-go. We 've lost each other for a little while after his dad left the family, but now... Now we've found our way back". She knows she looks a little foolish, spilling her heart to the girl who up to yesterday would do anything to tear her apart, but she can't find in herself to care. She loves Noah Puckerman. She wants the world to know it.

**Noah**

**H**e has no idea how a quiet night with his girl and his sister becomes an animated sleepover with his girl, his sister, his baby mama, his former fuck buddy and... Brittany. All he knows is that Quinn and Rachel joined him on the parking lot and, on the journey between the school and his house, Quinn and Rachel have put a full-blown sleepover together. Five minutes after he parks in front of the Berry house, Santana and Brittany arrive, Cheerio bags on their shoulders and looking almost normal outside their cheerleading outfits. After a quick contemplation, Rachel decides they're all crashing on the den where the Berry men have their home theater, and so he's sent upstairs to the attic to bring down the air mattresses. He finds three of them and carries them back to the living room; Nina's crashing on the couch, where she has already set up camp, cuddled underneath one of Rachel's quilts. Brittany and Santana are going to share one of the mattresses; he and Rachel, the second one; Quinn gets the third one all for herself.

The five girls decide to braid each other's hair while they watch Nina's movie pick, Disney's _The Lion King_. As expected, when the songs start Rachel sings along and he, Santana, Brittany and Quinn harmonize with her (it's a given considering they're all in glee club and used to provide back up vocals to her). Nina, lucky brat, looks all starry-eyed at them, clapping cheerfully when the songs end. When they're all with similar braids on their hair, Brittany takes a seat next to Nina on the couch, and Rachel calls up for food on the Chinese place her family orders from.

He knows Quinn's watching him with his sister, since it's the first time she sees them together. He doesn't hide his family from his school mates, but since Nina's so young, she doesn't hang out much with him when he's with other teens. He knows this is his chance to prove to her he can raise a kid right, so when the movie's over (Nina, Brittany and Quinn all have teared up when Mufasa died), he tells Nina to break out her homework and do it. She grumbles a little, but Santana suggests they all work on their school assignments before they start a new movie. The food arrives and Rachel passes plates around and they eat while he and Rachel work at their own homework and take turns helping Nina with hers. He can feel Quinn's eyes on him, and it's making him nervous. He knows Rachel can tell, because every now and then she reaches out and squeezes whatever part of him her hand manages to find. It's comforting, her touch, but he can't help but think it's not going to end well for him.

Once they're done with the food, he tells Nina to go upstairs with Rachel to change into her PJs and brush her teeth. Quinn, Brittany and Santana decide to tag along, so he decides to work on pumping the mattresses full of air and get everything ready for them to sleep. He can hear the muffled voices of the girls on the bathroom, Rachel's gentle voice as she talks to Nina, the same tone Santana uses when addressing Brittany. He can hear Quinn as she sneaks out to the hall to call her parents, and tell them she's crashing at Santana's. Once he's done with the mattresses (he had to move the coffee table so all the mattresses fit), he picks up the dirty dishes and takes them to the kitchen. He plops down on the mattress close to the couch and, shortly afterwards, the girls all file in.

Quinn takes the mattress further away from the couch; she explains it's best for her to be closer to the nearest bathroom since she still has bouts of morning sickness. She cuddles with the pillow, one of Rachel's pajamas stretching over the blob she calls a baby bump. Brittany and Santana lie down together on the middle one, their pinkies linked as they share a pillow. Nina curls up on the couch, all tucked in underneath a sea of blankets.

He and Rachel lie together on the final air mattress, her head against his shoulder, his arm draped over her body and her leg curled around his hip. It's hard for him to stop his natural reaction to Rachel's proximity – his first, natural instinct is to pull her closer and start making out with her, but Santana clears her throat loudly and Brittany giggles; Nina whispers, "Ew, gross", and he can almost see Quinn rolling her eyes, so he presses his forehead against Rachel's, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and chastely kisses her lips.

"Let's watch the movie, shall we?"

Santana has picked _White Chicks_, her favorite, and it's the first time Rachel's watching it, so she's making a handful of questions and sitting up so she can pay attention to the plot – he's the Puckerone, after all, and his girl can't keep her hands off him more than he can keep his off her. Brittany makes an off comment about how she and Chang have learnt the choreography of the nightclub scene, and Rachel looks all wide-eyed and shocked at the blonde airhead. Santana's smiling smugly and Quinn's looking at them with a soft, slightly surprised look on her face.

He can understand the feeling. When he first started dating Rachel, he couldn't believe this was his life either: nights in with his girlfriend and his sister, watching movies and ordering takeout and doing homework. He struggled for days with his growing feelings for Rachel and his need to be topdog at school. Until one night, when he walked in the Berry living room, dirty, sore and tired like hell from a football practice, and saw Rachel sitting on the floor next to Nina, helping her with her homework, a plate of Thai food sitting on the table across from them, waiting for him. He could see this happening every day of his life; he wanted it to happen. He stopped fighting his growing love for Rachel, and instead embraced it. The next day he told Rachel he loved her. The day after that, he told Rachel about the baby.

Quinn will get used with this new world. He's sure of it. He cuddles with Rachel, presses a kiss to her forehead and sinks into her warmth to pay attention to the movie.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **AU (sort of) from 'Mash-Up'.

I apologize greatly for the delay in this update. I won't repeat what happened to me in the last few months; most of you, I believe, read _To Be a Father_, and I think you've already read the author's note for the latest chapter. However, I am not sure where to take this. I haven't watched season 1 in quite some time, so I have to refresh my memory. I'll probably work a few storylines of it in this (such as the Hummelberry sing-off, which will be next chapter).

Not a lot of Puckleberry interaction in this chapter. However, Finn/Quinn is a major part of this, so I hope you guys enjoy and stick with me.

** Disclaimer: **Not mine. It belongs to RIB and Fox. The song belongs to Avril Lavigne.

**Never Gonna Be Alone**

**_Four:_**_ Bringin' On The Heartbreak_

**Rachel**

**S**lowly, she manages to start making progress with Quinn. The pregnant blonde begins to warm to her approaches, more often than not accepting Rachel's invitations. After that first, successful sleepover, Quinn becomes a fixture at the Berry residence, needing time away from her own, suffocating household. The secret she's keeping from her parents weighs down at her, making her feel uncomfortable at her own home, and she realizes being at Rachel's house, where everyone knows her secret and doesn't look at her with judgment in her eyes, is her safe haven.

More often than not, Noah is with them, unable, it seems, to be away from his girlfriend. Rachel notices that his own relationship with Quinn is also improving, a result, she knows, of Quinn seeing just who the real Noah is beneath the bravado and the _badassness_, as Noah likes to say, of Puck. Because Rachel knows she and Nina see the real Noah Puckerman, a sweet, loyal, fiercely protective young man who is capable of doing everything within his reach to those he loves.

However, as pleased as Rachel is with the progresses her and Noah's relationships with Quinn are going through, she's equally distressed and upset with the wall they've hit when it comes to Finn. Ever since the true paternity of Quinn's baby girl came out, Finn has quit Glee and stayed mostly to himself. Whenever he sees Quinn, Noah or even Rachel at the halls, he turns and walks the other way. Rachel has been trying to reach to him, to talk to him, but he refuses firmly. She even went to her house one day, anxious to fix their friendship, but she was sent away by a very embarrassed and uncomfortable Mrs. Hudson, who told her Finn refused to talk to her.

Honestly, for Rachel this is the worst part of all this mess. Even though she no longer sees Finn as a romantic match for herself (she has Noah now, who is much more adequate to a high-maintenance ingenue like yours truly), he still was the first person she could call a friend, Noah not counting. She doesn't want to lose that friendship, she can understand his anger, but why can't he see that Noah, as her boyfriend, is entitled her loyalty more than Finn does, as her friend? Plus, it was not her secret to tell, and Rachel Berry may be several things, but she's not a blabbermouth.

Noah isn't doing so well with his broken friendship with Finn, she knows. She has heard, from Santana and Brittany (who tell her when Quinn isn't present), that Finn has been beyond aggressive with Noah on their football practice, teasing him, mocking him, trying to goad Noah into a fistfight with him. Thankfully, Noah sees right through those attempts, recognizing them for the bait they are.

Rachel has tried to be there for Noah, being supportive of him and his pain (it's a longtime friendship he has with Finn, after all – now shattered apparently beyond repair, all because of a mistake), but she also has other pressing matters in her mind. An issue that, in her opinion, comes second in her list of priorities.

New Directions is one member short now, without Finn, and sectionals are looming closer and closer with each day.

(How surprising it is to realize that New Directions has taken a backseat to other concerns).

She considers approaching Mr. Schue with this issue, but she then drops it. After all, after the truth came out, tensions had erupted not only between Finn and the three people who knew the truth and kept it (_out of fear, guilt, loyalty_), but between Mr. Schue and Quinn and Noah, too. Mr. Schue had never hid well his favoritism of Finn over the other gleeks, and this favoritism has made extremely uncomfortable for Quinn and Noah to stay with New Directions. More often than not, they want to quit, but Rachel always manages to talk them out of it. They can find a thirteenth member. But three members to add to their group, that's considerably... impossible.

She's still musing over those broken bonds, Finn and Noah, Finn and Quinn, Finn and herself, Finn and New Directions, when she walks at the auditorium. Noah has practice, and Quinn's watching the Cheerios practice, her sharp eyes picking up on details she doesn't let slip and immediately bark at her former subordinates to see .them fixed and/or improved, and they have another sleepover today, this time at Noah's house, so she can't go home just yet.

What she finds in the auditorium shocks her, breaks her heart and fills her with hope, all at the same time.

Finn is sitting at the edge of the stage, his long legs dangling. He has his head down, hidden from her view, but she notices the hunch on his shoulders, the way his body nearly curls in itself. His whole body screams of loneliness and pain. Rachel aches to reach out to him, to offer him her help through this mess, the same way she did with Noah, did with Quinn. But she knows Finn won't accept it, he may want to, even desperately, but his teenage boy pride won't let him.

She's at a loss on what to do, when Finn opens up his mouth and sings.

_Let's talk this over – it's not like we're dead_

_Was it something I did? Was it something you said?_

_Don't leave me hanging in this city so dead_

_Held up so high on such a breakable tread_

_You were all the things I thought I knew_

_And I thought we could be_

He takes a deep breath and looks up. Rachel gasps quietly. There are tears running down his cheeks, his face twisted in a look of agony, the light bouncing off the wetness on his face. Rachel's own eyes bubble with tears as she watches him, heart aching for the raw pain she's witnessing.

_You were everything, everything that I wanted_

_We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it_

_All of my memories so close to me just fade away_

_All this time you were pretending_

_So much for my happy ending_

_So much for my happy ending_

* * *

><p><strong>Noah<strong>

**F**inn has ditched practice, again, and Tanaka blows a gasket. He lets all of them go early, dismisses them as he mumbles about how he's gonna kick Finn's ass so bad Finn won't be able to tell which side is down and which is up. Coach Sylvester has dismissed the Cheerios for the day, and Quinn is nowhere to be seen – probably at the auditorium with Rachel. After he has a quick shower and puts some clean clothes on, he packs his stuff up, shouts a goodbye to Chang and Rutherford and goes find his girlfriend and his baby mama.

The newfound friendship between Rachel and Quinn never ceases to amaze him. Rachel's a fucking miracle worker, in his opinion – Quinn has opened up to him, slightly, when it comes to decisions concerning the baby. They have tentatively started discussing what to do with their child, but more often than not it's a discussion Rachel's forced to make them shelve. Both he and Quinn have volatile tempers (there's fire burning under Quinn's ice princess facade, who knew?), and they usually end up screaming themselves hoarse because apparently, according to Rachel, _they talk, but they don't listen_ (whatever the hell that means). Rachel's the only person who's brave (crazy) enough to jump between them when they're going at it and get both of them relatively calm.

Honest to God, he'd be insane it it wasn't for that chick. No wonder he's fucking crazy about her.

He finds Rachel standing by the door of the auditorium, a look of shocked heartbreak in her face. Concerned, he puts a hand on her shoulder, making her practically jump out of her skin and turn in her heel to scold him, panting breathlessly, but the sound of Quinn's voice bouncing off the walls stuns the two of them into silence. Rachel claps her hand over his mouth to keep him shut, and turns back to the stage where Finn's sitting, his back suddenly stiffly straight.

**You've got your dumb friends; I know what they say**

**They tell you I'm difficult, but, so are they**

**But they don't know me – do they even know you?**

**All the things you hide from me, all the shit that you do**

**You were all the things I thought I knew**

**And I thought we could be**

Quinn's a fucking mess, he can tell even from the distance. She's irradiating anger and frustration, but also a bone-deep pain. So yeah, she fucked up, big time, but hey, Finn's no angel either. He was the one to give up on their relationship first, chasing after Rachel's skirt and drooling after Rachel (he can't be too harsh on Finn, however: his girl is hot and she has the most fucking awesome voice ever). So, yeah, Quinn made a stupid mistake. But she wouldn't have if she hadn't felt Finn wasn't putting the effort into being together.

(When he later tells Rachel that, she smiles all big and proud at him and tells him she's so "pleased that you're growing up and maturing, Noah". So, you know, bonus).

**You were everything, everything, that I wanted**

**We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it**

**All of my memories, so close to me, just fade away**

**All this time you were pretending**

**So much for my happy ending**

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel<strong>

**A**s she watches Finn and Quinn sing, she feels the urge to cry. They're both so obviously heartbroken over what happened, angry, hurt, disappointed, upset and lost. Sometimes it's hard to remember that they're all teenagers, all bound to make mistakes and bad decisions and even worse choices. There are no victims in this situation, all four of them (Noah, Quinn, Finn and herself) are a little to blame on this. The only innocent party is the little girl growing inside Quinn; Rachel knows she shouldn't have gone after Finn, not after knowing he was already in a relationship. However, she always wants everything too much, and having a healthy, loving relationship with someone is one of these things.

Finn jumps up, anger twisting his face, pain rolling off his body in waves. He stalks towards Quinn, and Rachel fears for a moment that he'll do something to hurt the blonde, but Quinn herself doesn't seem to share the same worries. She stands, tall, fierce and desperate, her eyes watching Finn as he moves towards her. Behind Rachel, Noah is also watching, transfixed, eyes narrowed as he tenses in preparation to jump in if he needs to.

**It's nice to know that you were there**

**Thanks for acting like you care, and making me feel like I was the only one**

Finn scoffs at Quinn and her words, but Rachel agrees that the blonde has a point. Even before the truth came out, since Finn joined glee, he wasn't strong enough to turn down Rachel's advances, accepting them and stringing the brunette along as he made promises and said things to Quinn that made her believe she was the one he loved. And, deep down, Rachel believes Quinn is the one Finn loves – however, since she wasn't supportive of his choice to join New Directions and constantly criticized him for said choice, Finn went searching for support, help and praises in someone else.

That was what attracted Finn to herself, Rachel knows that now: the fact that she didn't look down at him for joining the school's glee club, in fact, she supported him and helped him and praised him. It wasn't love, infatuation or even lust what tied Finn to her, but a desperate need to feel like he hasn't made the wrong call by following the side of him who loves music ever since he was a child.

_It's nice to know we had it all_

_Thanks for watching as I fall and letting me know we were done_

Finn storms out of the auditorium, leaving behind a visibly exhausted and devastated Quinn. Noah makes a move to go after him, but Rachel, a pleading look on her face, puts a hand on his chest and keeps him from leaving. "Let me", she asks, and, after a moment's hesitation, he nods, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead before quickly and noisily making his way towards where Quinn is, crumpled in the middle of the stage, all anger having left her, her body wrecked with silent sobs.

Rachel takes a deep breath and turns towards where Finn has just gone to. "God help me", she whispers as she follows Finn to the parking lot.


End file.
